Fighting to build a better life in 1950s South Africa

The West Rand Jive Cats Boxing Club

JOHANNESBURG, 1958. 12-year-olds Chris and Tommy live among the rough-and-tumble of a small mining camp on the outskirts of the city.

Theirs is a life of mischief and adventure, though one about to change in the course of this heat-frazzled summer. A coming-of-age novel in the most traditional sense, the small lives of the West Rand boys are about to be blown open by boxing, rock ‘n’ roll, and grown-up questions.